Bane said when Gotham was ashes Bruce had his permission to die.
Later in the movie Bane is happy to die in the nuclear explosion.

Do people think that was Bane's plan all along, or do you think he would've gone back to finish off Bruce?

Talia and Bane's original plan was to leave Gotham before the countdown was complete and then after they moved out of six mile radius, Bane would have pressed the trigger, but they had to change that original plan as Batman appeared again to foil Bane's plans, the scene where Bane has a tear in his eyes and Talia says him goodbye shows that they were not mentally prepared.

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Originally Posted by Uroboric Forms

Bane probably planned on paralysing Bruce so he would have no choice but to lay and watch Gotham destroyed, then Bane and Talia could have moved clear of the blast zone and detonate the bomb. The prisoner and doctor were being paid to keep Bruce alive, so they might have been instructed to stop keeping him alive once it was finished, or Bane could have come in and snapped his neck.